fashionpulse | Fashion Pulse Daily - Part 118

March 15, 2010

How I Survived the 2010 New York Fashion Week

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Well, it wasn’t easy surviving my 13th fashion week, and by now, I know who to rely on, when I need a little reprieve, and what is considered a ‘normal’ food and caffeine intake during fashion week! For starters, my trusty notebook this time around was actually my Ports 1961 show invite — what a great idea! By the week’s end, it was definitely looking as worn and ragged as I felt, but it definitely got the job done! (see below).

My trusty Ports 1961 show invite/notebook

The importance of caffeine and protein bars: I had stocked up on a slew of Luna bars to keep in my bag, but there were a lot of Zone Perfect bars being given out, which led to further emergency sustenance. As seen above, I love the WWD‘s and The Daily handed out at the tents, and definitely was thrilled that Starbucks was the coffee sponsor this year. I chugged many a Columbia and Italian Roast  Ready Brew VIA, as well as the new Light Frappuccino in Vanilla, which tasted exactly like the full-calorie version (yippee for me, since I skipped the gym all week, my other ‘healthy’ fashion week ritaul!’). Somewhat satiated and caffeinated, I was fueled enough to get through the grueling schedule of back to back shows, interviews, running all over the place, writing and tweeting like crazy, and trying to look as fabulous as humanly possible.

Maisie & I at the IFB Conference (and Minx nails!)

John from Phyto & I at the Robert Verdi Lounge

Speaking of looking great, my buddy, Jen Paelmo, makeup artist extraordinaire was kind enough to do my hair and makeup for the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference, while Maisie Dunbar of Spa Lounge in Maryland and the fab BluffaJo Cosmetics (pictured, left) gave me a fabulous manicure with a pink leopard print Minx nail! Rebecca Taylor lent me a few looks for the week, which I was thrilled to wear at the Social Media Awards as well as to the show and my interview with Rebecca.  Luckily, I was also able to spend some time at the Robert Verdi Future of Fashion lounge,  which was one of the most relaxing things I did all week!

John Gerard Griffith from Phyto (and Loft 26) gave me an amazing blow out and I also tested out some of the brand’s products, Ginger + Liz supplied me with their new nail lacquer collection’s mint ‘Boy Toy’ polish, Maidenform hooked up my decolletage with a new bra, and Rock & Republic adorned my bottom half with a new pair of tres chic studded jeans! Speaking of tres — Tresemme came out with a dry shampoo and were giving away both purse-sized and full-sized bottles – when I didn’t have time to shampoo (and you really shouldn’t everyday anyways) Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo seriously saved me (and you can get it for $4.29!).

Also on the ‘seriously it saved me’ list includes the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes for quick and easy makeup removal, my Sorel Hoonah Boots for when the weather was just downright nasty (aka half of fall/winter 2010 fashion week) and the HauteLook lounge at the Bryant Park Hotel, a quite getaway with healthy snacks and laptops to use! Fashion week gets a bit crazy, but I am so glad to have met so many wonderful people and experienced great products that kept me afloat this season!

The last day at the tents-forever!

March 15, 2010

Jodi Arnold for The Limited

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Is there a store in your life you can avoid neither walking past nor stopping to stare every time you walk past? For me, Jodi Arnold is one of them. A block away from where I live, it is a store I walk past every day, only to find myself distracted by interesting silhouettes and elegant embellishments. Fortunately for spring 2010, the New York designer has collaborated with The Limited to create a collection that combines The Limited‘s practical styles with her signature aesthetics as well. Beads? Check. Prints? Check. Ruffles? Check. Sparkle? Can’t miss that. Undoubtedly Jodi Arnold’s collection of dresses, tops, bottoms, and rompers are appropriate for both Wall Street and Madison Avenue. Feel like glamming it up a bit on a weekday? Done!

– Justina Lee

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March 14, 2010

Not Your Daughter’s Jeans: Fit For a Mother AND a Daughter

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My Mom and I share more than genetics; we both have a really distinctive sense of style, and I am proud to say that I can attribute that, and love of fashion, to her. We don’t agree on everything though when it comes to la mode; her favorite color is green while I skew towards blue, I’ll never be caught wearing her beloved Clarks comfort shoes, nor will she be seen in shoes with a heel that exceeds one inch ( I tend to prefer around 3 inches).  When I had the opportunity to test a complimentary style from Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, one of her favorites brands, I thought that maybe I should be a bit more open minded and take a walk in her shoes for a change (but of course now you know I mean not literally!).  Our mother and daughter outing over her birthday weekend in March chronicled two days of shopping and giggling trailed closely by a reluctant paparazzo (or ‘Dadarazzo’), my Dad as much to his chagrin, we took our sweet time in a bevy of stores. In the photos my Mom is wearing Style #744 Trouser Jean in Premium Blue/Black and I’m in  Style #731T Straight Leg Premium Blue/Black Tonal Jeans. We headed right for the Jean Paul Gaultier for Target, contemplating which pieces to buy and what other sections we needed to peruse at the mega-retailer. (see pics below)

If your not familiar with Not Your Daughter’s Jeans (NYDJ), the brand is known for its lift tuck technology which features a branded signature panel to hold the stomach in, lift your behind, and ‘reshape your curves to look and feel a full size smaller’. Basically what this  translates to, style-wise is that the waist portion/zipper of the jean is elongated (major plus of this is that it elminates ‘plummers crack’, as seen on too many people in skinny, low-waisted jeans), and the back pockets cover more generously. We both agreed that they were perfectly as comfortable as any other jean we owned, and liked the fact that they had way more stretch than other jeans (4% spandex, when most jeans have 1-2%). My Mom prefers to wear tops that hit around the natural waistline, while I prefer tunic length styles (that also conceals the longer zipper fly). We also liked that the sizing ran big – in a size 0 and 4 for myself and my Mother, we felt skinnier even before we asked each other ‘How do I look?’. With a wide selection of styles and colors, NYDJ can truly be worn by both a mother and a daughter, even if they have varying tastes and requirements for jean. I don’t think the stomach aspect was what I was going for, but realized the ‘butt lift’ was a major coup after my Mom couldn’t stop complimenting how cute my derriere looked, and I was admiring how much the jeans smooth and lengthened her incredibly petite frame, we were sold!

[We were  busy looking for jewelry, home goods, and goofing around on our shopping trip in the NYDJ]

March 14, 2010

Liberty of London for Target: Available Starting Today!

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You know Target is really really excited about a collection when the entire site’s backdrop is a print from the latest line! The assortment of products, from home decor to lawn & garden, bedding, women’s, men’s, and girls will only be found at select Targets in a variety of items available, with most already briskly selling out online. If you’re not familiar with the brand, now’s the time to discover why it’s such a big deal: the company, Linerty & C0 has been around since 1875 and has worked with a variety of artists and designers (including Louis Vuitton, Nike and Yves Saint Laurent) to create over 43,000 print designs, with 25 of these designs featured in the line for Target. With a price range of $3.99-$199.99, there’s something for everybody!

Our favorites (click on the picture to go right to the item online):

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